Friday Fantastic Flash with CS Boyack

“Captain Stevens, the pressure on the hull is building again! I don’t know how much longer before it crushes,” Ensign Lola said.

I buckled myself in my chair. “Everyone buckle up. Boost the shields to the pressure points. The last time the pressures were followed by that awful shaking.”

“Pressures seem to be coming from the top and bottom of the ship. Like being in a big vice. I can divert some power from the sides, but it’s just a guess.”

“Do it!”

“Pressure is easing up, but we’re in motion again.”

“Hang on everyone.”

The ship moved violently from side to side. The sudden change in direction reminded me of a whip cracking. Half the crew would be in sick bay tomorrow if we survived whatever kind of storm this was. It wasn’t bad enough to risk landing here for fuel, we might need more repairs than we could handle after this.

The lights failed, and emergency lights cast a shadowy glow across the cabin. “Try to get a fix on where we are now. If we have to send an emergency signal, we need to tell them where we are.”

Lola paused. “We haven’t moved far at all. It’s almost like some kind of vortex. We don’t have enough power to break free, and all we can do it ride it out.”

“Damages?”

“Some surface damage to the upper part of the ship. The bottom has some too, but not as bad. We appear to be coated with a watery type substance.”

“Not unusual for a storm, right Lola?”

A creaking pressure silenced us all. Lola focused on her terminal and worked on the shields in silence.

“Well?” I asked.

“So far so good, but we can’t take another round of this.”

***

“Honey, grab her while I finish folding this blanket and putting our lunch away.”

“She’s okay. She’s just sitting in the shade being happy.”

“I know, but I want to change her diaper before we drive back to your mother’s.”

“Hey, big girl. What ya got there? Somebody’s old toy spaceship. That’s nasty. Daddy will buy you your own someday. Honey? Do we have her teething ring in the cooler?”

I have just finished beta-reading Craig’s most recent work, a collection of short stories entitled The Experimental Notebook of C.S. Boyack, and let me tell you, it’s GOOD! If you enjoyed his flash piece, you will LOVE his book… out soon, watch this space. In the meantime, you can content yourself with one or all of his other books, available on Amazon, of course, each one a cracking good read; I know, I’ve read ’em!

And so to this week’s Friday Fantastic Flash Challenge. Deception and lies. You discover someone has not been honest with you. Why? All is not as it seems beneath the surface. How do you feel? What do you do about it?

You can submit here, I will feature one story each week and include links to your blog and books. Entries must be under 500 words, but please remember that I write YA, so there may be young people on this site… please keep it family friendly. I really hope you will join me and take part in the craic!

Roy, sorry to make you wait. My book of short stories is now available for preorder on all the Amazon sites. I think it’s a good deal at 99¢. This is a global link and should work everywhere http://a-fwd.com/asin-com=B014S2BA4U Thanks for your patience and interest.

Despite my best efforts not to look cynical wrinkles formed on my brow.

“Right, and you figure that how, exactly?”

“Simple isn’t it?” she said, picking up her folder ready for class, “if u keep consistent and tell the same story, everyone accepts it and you,” she pointed at my chest, “don’t get accused of lying…” She leant into my face, so her nose touched mine, “that makes it a truth.”

She popped a kiss on my lips and giggled.

“It’s hardly a truth Leah. I’m still deceiving everyone, and what I did was wrong.”

She rolled her eyes, “do you wanna get into uni or not?”

“Course. Can you imagine what my parents would do if I didn’t get in? I wouldn’t have stolen the paper if I wasn’t desperate. But…” my stomach twisted, bile rose in my throat, it was bitter. A flash of what I’d done. The touch of Miss’s hand. The sweet rose perfume I’d watch her spray through the classroom door before I entered. The quiver of her lip as she handed over the paper. Her skin was so soft.

“Promise me Justin,” miss said, “promise me no one will ever know.”

“I shouldn’t have done it, Leah. What if they find out? What if I ruin her career as well as mine?”

Leah’s face grew dark, her eyes narrowed.

“Silly cow shouldn’t have taken a liking to ya then should she? Look, this is this isn’t about you any more, this is about all of us you have helped.”

“It wasn’t like that, I forced her. Tempted her, She’s only 4 years older than us you know.”

“So you do like her?” her neck was flexing, her face shook as pink rose up her cheeks “how could you?”

She said the tablets were for sciatica. Ha! I should have suspected. She’s never had back ache. Pain in the proverbial at times, but I put that down to the usual, you know her monthly wotsit.
I may never have realised. We were old enough not to care about others. I understood, given what she’d said about her past, that she would be reluctant on the physical side. Geez, of course she’d be a bit reluctant in the intimacy area. And I assumed the scars were, you know, from that relationship.
We talked about kids. We’re a bit old may be, but not that old. I wasn’t that keen in truth so it wasn’t an issue. We sort of left it open.
Looking back the clue was there on Facebook. That photo of her primary school, when they tagged the wrong person and I laughed that she’d not noticed.
Things changed after that. For a week or so she spent long hours at work. Then she asked me to collect the repeat prescription. Maybe she told the pharmacist to say something. Maybe she knew I’d ask. ‘Hormones,’ that’s all I heard.
Sitting in the car, the pieces have jammed into place like a badly cut jigsaw. And that photo. The little blond lad tagged ‘Lesley Grade’.
I’ve sat here for two hours. She’s at home, waiting for me. The kids aren’t going to happen but so? And she’s had a hell of a time. Is it strange she finds trust difficult? I want to hold her, but whether it’s to strangle her or hug her I’m not sure.
I thought I’d explode, wondering what to do. That’s when it occurred to me I was still calling her ‘her’ and ‘she’. Maybe that’s what I should hang on to.

Give it a go! I’d love to see your interpretation of an Irish myth… nust do me a favour; dont make it the children of Lir or Diarmuid and Graine… you’d think they were the only stories we have! Oh and we have no experts, Irish myth is not something thats black and white, its open to interpretation, and everyone is entitled to do that… especially since most people have a little Irish ancestry in them somewhere! 😊

Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Some excellent flash fiction with an entirely unexpected ending.. no peeking just pop over and read…Ali Isaac with guest Craig Boyack.

Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:
It’s 10:30 PM in Idaho, and I just walked in the house from my work trip. I was in Moscow, Idaho and that’s a long way from Boise. We made a pit stop in McCall, a bit over halfway home and I discovered this post. There was no way I was going to bed without sharing it.

One of my best blogging friends, Ali, started a Friday theme she calls Friday Fantastic Flash. She posted a bit of micro fiction and invited us all to participate. I’m a sucker for anyone trying something new and sent her this piece. I hope you enjoy it, and will pick up the baton and run with it yourselves. Consider following Ali while you’re there. She has one of the most interesting blogs I know of.